You are here

Petty Crimes

By

"In this sharply honed collection of stories, Mexican American children on the brink of adolescence are testing the waters, trying to find their place in a world ruled by gangs and "marked with graffiti, boom boxes, lean dogs behind fences…" Some characters (La Güera, a shoplifter, and Mario, a scam artist) are already on their way to becoming juvenile delinquents. Others have chosen a straighter path. Most, however, are caught somewhere in the middle…With a rare mix of compassion and irony, Soto (Buried Onions) crystallizes moments signifying the loss of innocence." — Publishers Weekly